


We Meet Again, Stranger (Mother?)

by TheRoomWhereItHappened347



Series: Dark Thoughts in the Limelight [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: (some of these are mentioned), Abuse, Abused Kuroo Tetsurou, Affection, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Caring Kuroo Tetsurou’s Father, Comforting Kozume Kenma, Cuddling, Dating, Double Date, Established Relationship, Familial Love, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I’ll do a massive editing thing later, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou Friendship, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Neglect, PLEASE READ THE TAGS BECAUSE THEY ACT AS WARNINGS, Recovery, Sad Kuroo Tetsurou, Screw toxic masculinity, Swearing, Verbal Abuse, Worried Kozume Kenma, bowling, but lowkey, does it deserve that tag? Kinda, his Father is Oblivious for a while ngl, i wrote this instead of working, this is longer than I thought it would be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-14 19:42:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28551060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheRoomWhereItHappened347/pseuds/TheRoomWhereItHappened347
Summary: His father didn’t pressure him into revealing the abuse, instead carefully choosing times to ask open questions to see if Tetsurou felt safe enough to tell.He didn’t reveal it all at once. He started on the general details then delved into the deepest parts of himself and his insecurities once he felt he trusted his father enough. Life continued, he recovered.Compared to 10 years ago, Tetsurou couldn’t ask for a better life. He hadn’t seen his mother since the night she left after her and his father’s argument.He didn’t realise he would be contradicted so soon._____*could have a chapter 6
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji & Bokuto Koutarou & Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma & Kuroo Tetsurou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Series: Dark Thoughts in the Limelight [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2075667
Comments: 28
Kudos: 88





	1. Somebody That I Used To Know

**Author's Note:**

> 1) So this is my headcannon for why Kuroo’s mum isn’t around, except I made it 10x darker than I meant. Please read the tags for trigger warnings!
> 
> 2) I have no clue when chapter 2 will release because the term started and it’s gonna be hell.
> 
> 3) Enjoy the fic and leave a kudos and comment! 
> 
> ⚠️ ABUSE (mainly verbal!)

She didn’t want him. She never did and never would. 

She’d made it abundantly clear to him from a young age that the only reason he existed was to save her failing marriage, but his father didn’t know he knew that. 

She said that in the end, he didn’t save her marriage, he ruined it. He made her miserable because she couldn’t do the things she wanted to and he was a burden. 

His father didn’t know about the fury and hatred aimed at him. He never said a word about it and she wore the mask of a caring mother. 

He hated how she made it believable. The mask was of a caring mother when in fact she was a manipulative snake. She lied as she said ‘I love you’, hugging him even though her cold fingers dug into his shoulders and her fake words stabbed his heart.  
What he could’ve had versus what reality gave him. 

The worst parts of his life were the fights. The fights were loud and harsh and sometimes violent, with whatever non-lethal object occasionally being thrown when it became too much and disrupting the precious hours of sleep he needed. 

People adapt, he was no exception, and his two pillows became his shields from the swords made up of his parent’s sharp voices, each one attempting to stab his heart and cause him agony.

The battles mostly occurred during late evening or night, a rare few happening during the day, but neither won the war. 

His father often left after these fights and he was left alone with her and her seething hatred of him and his father. He didn’t dare go downstairs whenever it was just her and him. It was too risky and he’d learnt his lesson after last time. 

In his school, he saw parents hug their children and ask how their day was. He received silence or icy glares.  
His peer’s families seemed warm and full of love, whereas his consisted of yelling or stony silences, there was no in between.

It wasn’t as if his father didn’t love him; he played volleyball with Tetsurou whenever he had the time and ate with him when he didn’t have an evening meeting. 

It was enough for him, even when he was left alone with his mother and she either ignored him or yelled at him for his mistakes like when he ate messily or tried making conversation, being dismissed with something along the lines of ‘you don’t want so upset me even more than you have, do you Tetsurou?’

‘It was enough,’ he told himself even though his heart whispered ‘please give me more.’ He was 8 when his father found out, having come back early from work to find his mother shouting things no one should say to a child. 

It started the worst argument they’d had, with sharp insults and blunt objects thrown, all because he’d made the mistake of spilling his water on the rug. It was his fault, so why did they argue to the point where his father was dodging objects 5 minutes in.

It took his father shouting at him to go to his room to make him leave, the poor child scrambling up the stairs to his sanctuary.  
His father didn’t shout at him. He never had and Tetsurou believed he never would. Did he hate Tetsurou like his mother did? Did he detest his existence and believe that he also ruined his marriage? 

He didn’t sleep much that night, too terrified of the ongoing shouting match. Sometimes the argument dipped and he felt he could attempt sleeping, but it picked up again and made it seem as if they were yelling in the room next to him, when they were actually arguing in the living room. 

He slept lightly, waking up when the door slammed shut and he heard a car leaving the driveway. He hoped that it wasn’t his father that left.

The next day his father knocked on his door and helped him pack his things to stay at his grandparents’ house for a week. 

He later found out that this ‘week’ at his grandparents’ turned into two, which turned into ‘a few months’ which turned to ‘we’re staying here’. 

All of his toys, books and his precious volleyball, basically all of his belongings, were delivered to the house. 

He now had his own room -larger than before- and it was quiet. Not just the room, but downstairs, even the neighbourhood was peaceful and he didn’t hear drunk people passing by his window late at night. 

He didn’t have to press two pillows over his ears to be able to sleep but old habits die hard, and at this point no one in his family protested the bedhead, so he didn’t bother changing it. 

He wasn’t exactly social with the neighbours, being nervous to talk to anyone outside of his grandparents.  
Even his father made him nervous because Tetsurou didn’t want to be shouted at, not again. It hadn’t happened since his parents’ fight, but he could never be too careful. 

It took a year before his father decided to bridge the gap between them, him asking Tetsurou if he wanted to play volleyball on a cloudy Saturday in September.  
He accepted, they played. 

It took a while with a few hesitations on both sides, but by the end he felt closer to his father than he had before. The strange thing was his father didn’t pressure him into revealing the abuse, instead carefully choosing times to ask open questions to see if Tetsurou felt safe enough to tell. 

He didn’t reveal it all at once. He started on the general details, like the first time he could remember her having a reason to shout at him -it was fair, he shouldn’t have left his Lego on the kitchen floor- and eventually reached more vivid details, like what part of his personality she berated him on or what she made him feel. 

He never met his father’s eyes when he revealed these things, too scared to see possible disappointment or anger in his eyes because he shouldn’t have made those mistakes and his mother was right. 

Once he finished describing his experience, his father always asked if he could hug Tetsurou before doing so if he was allowed. It was strange because Tetsurou hadn’t received affection this often; he was used to silence and hugging his toys in an effort to replace the love he often yearned for. 

He never said no to his father hugging him and they eventually reached the day where a question wasn’t needed, giving a bit more normalcy to Tetsurou’s life despite the gaping hole that was torn in their family by his mother.

He settled into a routine of being (safe) at home, doing whatever was asked -either by one of his grandparents or his father- and only came out of his shell around his family.

Then came Kenma. 

He didn’t plan to meet the quiet boy next door. Being social wasn’t his forte and he was always an awkward person.

He was grateful his father forced him to meet the Kozume’s though, because he met his lifelong best friend. 

Their first interaction was...awkward. 

Contrary to their friend’s beliefs, Kenma was actually the one to reach out, asking him if he wanted to play video games; he later introduced Kenma to volleyball and the rest was history. 

Countless hours were spent playing volleyball with Kenma, whether it was by themselves -‘levelling up’, as Kenma called it- or playing with the team. 

He helped take care of Kenma whenever he was sick because of volleyball. Tetsurou blamed himself every time, because Kenma wouldn’t be sick if it weren’t for him asking Kenma to play, but he voiced his thoughts out once only to be shut down by Kenma’s mother and Kenma himself.  
Even if Kenma gave him that reassurance he always felt guilty, after all, he couldn’t unlearn certain behaviours his mother had instilled in him.

He eventually climbed out of his shell, making friends with Yaku and Kai in his first year of Nekoma, and his fear of interacting with others and disappointing them fading away as years flew by (it was always in his mind though, it was just shoved far down and sometimes simmered under the surface, but not an overwhelming and constant thought like it was when he was younger.) 

Becoming Nekoma’s captain in his 3rd year certainly helped his confidence, even if he initially thought Kai would’ve been a more reasonable decision due to his friend being more level-headed than Tetsurou was. 

He accepted the position and grew into it over the next few months, enjoying his time with Nekoma -his family- even accepting Lev despite the boy’s goofiness and reluctance to improve his receives...then again, Nekoma’s receiving practices were described as demonic and he had Yaku ‘demon senpai’ coaching him. 

Meeting Bokuto at his first training camp certainly helped him; he could freely act like a teenager and not fear judgement from him. He was relieved to have met him even if he sometimes lost braincells around him.

Chaotic days often occurred, whether it was making rockets and explosions in Tetsurou’s garden or going shopping for Nerf guns and playing with them in Bokuto’s local park. 

Compared to 10 years ago, Tetsurou couldn’t ask for a better life. He hadn’t seen his mother since the night she left after her and his father’s argument. 

He didn’t realise he would be contradicted so soon.


	2. Ice Cream and Vultures

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) *throws fluff at you* *scampers behind a boulder and peeks to see your reactions*
> 
> 2) So KuroKen decided to have a date when there was supposed to be angst scheduled...oh well *shrugs* I want a cute KuroKen date and I bet you did too.  
> I’ve been feeling generous (read: I’ve been procrastinating on work for fuck knows how long) and updated 3 fics today so I feel bittersweet.
> 
> 3) Enjoy the chapter and leave a kudos and comment!

He didn’t think that of all the places he’d meet her again, it’d be in a park. 

He and Kenma were looking at volleyball kit -well he was, Kenma was playing on his PSP- because he needed new knee pads, his other ones having shrunk in the wash.

“Kenma, look,” he nudged his boyfriend as he gestured to a pair of knee pads that had Neko faces and ears at the top. There was nothing against wearing them in practice, right? 

“What about them? You’re not going to wear them to practice, are you?” The setter asked. He probably suspicious that Tetsurou would actually do it.

“Nah, I would never, but I know Bokuto would! It would be so funny to see them at training camp,” he snickered. 

“What do you think Akaashi will think when he saw them?” Kenma asked as Tetsurou checked the price. Huh, they weren’t that expensive. 

“He’d be more surprised I didn’t find owl ones- wait should I get owl ones?” He dragged Kenma around the shop to try and find owl knee pads, a tiny bit disappointed that they didn’t have them. Eh, he could look for them on the Internet. 

He found some good quality knee pads that weren’t too expensive and paid for the items, almost bursting out laughing when his brain conjured the image of Bokuto and cat knee pads at the summer training camp; the best part was the fact that his best friend would probably wear them. 

“Ne, Kuro,” Kenma gently tugged at his shirt, prompting Tetsurou to look in the direction Kenma was looking. Ah, an ice cream parlour.

“You wanna get ice cream?” He asked, Kenma nodding. “Okay.” 

They walked into the parlour, Kenma telling him what he wanted and Tetsurou ordering and paying for their ice creams- not that he minded, he would do about anything to see Kenma happy-

As he gave Kenma his chocolate ice cream when they were walking out of the parlour, he almost walked into a lady, making her stumble. 

“Ah, sorry ma’am,” he apologised, helping her steady herself. She was only a few centimetres shorter than he was, with long black hair and a few wrinkles on her face.  
If he was honest with himself, she looked like a strict woman who would scare the crap out of him.

“It’s alright,” she smiled slightly. 

“Ah, it’s my fault for not looking. You’re okay right?” He asked, noticing Kenma standing a few feet away...it almost looked like he was frowning? Tetsurou was too far away to tell.

“I’m fine, it’s good you apologised and checked on me though. I’m sure your friend is waiting,” she gestured back to Kenma. 

“Yeah. Bye ma’am,” he said, dismissing the thought that he’d met her somewhere as he caught up to Kenma. 

As they wondered over to a nearby park, Kenma said something about the woman. 

“Didn’t she give you weird vibes?” He asked as he started his chocolate ice cream in an effort to stop it melting everywhere.

“What do you mean?” He replied as he looked for anywhere shady that wasn’t taken by other people. 

“I don’t know,” Kenma hesitated. “It all seemed a bit...forced?” 

“I’m not sure. She did seem kind of familiar though ...eh, maybe I saw her on the train?” He brushed the encounter off, not wanting to stress himself out over it.  
“Aha!” He spotted a tree that provided shade and they sat under it, attempting to shield themselves from the heat. 

It wasn’t unpleasantly hot but he could see Kenma’s relief when they had entered the cool ice cream parlour, so finding shade was a must.

“I still don’t get how you like pistachio ice cream. It’s so difficult to pick up the flavour,” Kenma muttered as he ate his chocolate ice cream.

“Maybe your tastebuds aren’t as ‘refined’ as mine- hey,” he raised an eyebrow and Kenma’s slight glare, “you’re the one who picks chocolate ice cream every time and then tries pistachio! You should know by now that chocolate overpowers it.” 

“...shut up Kuro.”

“Make me.”

He didn’t expect Kenma to kiss him on the lips -albeit was brief- before taking his ice cream out of his hand and trying some. Heat exploded in Tetsurou’s cheeks when he tasted chocolate on his lips.

“I still can’t taste much, but I get why you like it now,” Kenma said as Tetsurou attempted to bring himself back to reality. “You back yet?”

“How do you expect me to start functioning again when you do that!” He whined as he hid his face in his hands, trying to force his blush to go away.

“Do you want your ice cream back or...?” He held out one hand, Kenma handing the ice cream back to him and letting him regain his composure.

They sat there for a while, Kenma playing on his PSP and Tetsurou admiring how perfect he was. Soft blonde -well, fading blonde- hair shining in the sun, focused but mesmerising eyes, perfect personality. Well, some may argue on the last point, but Kuroo found Kenma perfect for him. 

Kenma would listen even if what he was talking about was something stupid and would either make him feel better by giving small bits of affection or helping him confront the actual problem.  
He’d developed a habit of avoiding the problem by masking it with stupid little ones and then getting off track because he chickened out and didn’t want to become a burden like before-

“Kuro?” He snapped out of his train of thought and met Kenma’s eyes, surprised to see concern there. “You looked like you’d gone into your head. You okay?” 

“Hmm? I’m fine kitten, just thinking about how perfect you are~” He smirked when Kenma looked away, a blush growing across his face. 

“S-shut up Kuro,” he mumbled, refusing to make eye contact with Kuroo for a while and focusing on his video game as his blush faded. 

‘Making Kenma flustered is fun,’ he snickered internally, weak to his boyfriend’s cuteness.

“Hey,” he poked Kenma’s arm. “Hey, hey Kenma. Kenmaaaa stop ignoring meee~” He continued his persistent nodding until the setter gave up and looked at him again. “Your blush is cute.” 

“I- why did I expect anything but that,” Kenma sighed, his blush returning again.


	3. Goodbye To a World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I’ve finally written the chapter when shit goes down!  
> When I say writing the first half was a struggle, I mean every force on this planet wanted to distract me from doing it! I had a (I’m ngl, a bit of irrational) anger thing which fuelled me to get this done. 
> 
> 2) I think the next chapter will be the last. Originally this was meant to be a oneshot that turned into this long thing and here we are.
> 
> 3) Enjoy the chapter and leave a kudos and comment! 
> 
> ⚠️ WARNING (S): 
> 
> ⚠️ Mentions of past child abuse.

They stayed under the tree until sunset, it casting oranges and pinks across the sky as they walked back home, both content with the day they’d had. 

He’d given his boyfriend the hoodie tied around his waist as soon as he’d started shivering, having known Kenma was more sensitive to the cold than he was. 

He snickered when Kenma seemed to drown in the grey hoodie, it reaching his thighs and the sleeves being well over his arm length.

“I’ll see you tomorrow kitten,” he kissed Kenma’s forehead as he dropped him off at his house, loving the blush that adorned Kenma’s cheeks. 

“See you tomorrow,” Kenma waved, his floppy sleeves making Tetsurou’s heart melt, him waiting until he entered his house to go.

Shifting his grasp on the bag he was carrying, he shivered as he walked to his home, the sun finally falling behind the rows of houses and letting the sky fade through the phases of blue. 

The lampposts lit up the street as he stumbled on the pavement leading up to his house, barely glancing at the second car in the driveway.

He entered his house, kicking off his shoes in the dark corridor and dumping the bag on his bed, only registering voices from the kitchen when he went to the living room to watch some TV. Was his dad home already? He hadn’t expected him home until around 9. 

“Dad?” He called out as he opened the kitchen door, blinking as his eyes adjusted to the harsh light of the room, not expecting a woman to be in there.

“Oh, Tetsurou...” He hadn’t seen Dad so stressed since the last Japanese World Cup match (unfortunately, they’d lost).

Tall, black hair, now-tensed body -wait, hasn’t he met her before? 

“Have I met you before?” He echoed his thoughts. 

“Yes, we met at the ice cream parlour earlier today,” she nodded. Ah, so that’s why he remembered. Something else was creeping up though. That can’t have been the only time he’d met her...

“Listen, Niseka, I don’t want you here and I doubt Tetsurou does either,” Dad started, his face darkening when Niseka spoke in a steely voice.

“How do you know what he wants?” She turned to face him, heels making her appear taller than she probably was, but they made her gaze easily meet his. “I’m sure you can decide for yourself, can’t you Tetsurou?” She strained smile appeared on her face.

Oh.

He froze, remembering cruel words, stinging touches and overwhelming want for affection and love and all the things a child deserved-

“Tetsurou?” She asked again.

“Don’t call me that!” He snapped, nails digging into his palms. “What are you doing here?” His blood boiled as she stalked over to him, heels echoing against the tiled floor. 

He stilled as she neared, not expecting her to come to close to him like a predator to its prey.

“What gives you the right,” she hissed as he stopped breathing, “to talk to me like that?” The snake bared it’s teeth, poison ready. “I’m your mother.” It bit.

As much as he despised the agonising truth, he couldn’t deny it. She birthed him and dealt with him throughout the years-

“Niseka!” Dad shouted, making him flinch back to life and his mother turn her head. “Get away from him and leave.”

“Why? I should be allowed to see my son.” She frowned as if she hadn’t done anything wrong, as if she hadn’t neglected him, shredded his sense of self-worth and shattered his family.

“I-” He choked out, drawing both of their gazes to him. “I’m not your son!” 

Niseka blinked and Dad was silent.

“Of course you’re my son, I carried you for 9 months, gave birth to you and looked after you for years-!” 

“No you didn’t.” 

Her eyes narrowed. “What delusion are you under?” She raised an eyebrow. 

“You never cared about me, Dad did!” He yelled, gesturing to the man in question. “You hated me, you hated being near me, caring for me, playing with me- anything to do with me really.”  
His hands were shaking, fingers digging into his palms to keep some form of self-restraint. “You said I was a last ditch attempt to save your marriage and I stopped you from doing what you wanted and I was a screw up a-and,” he stopped, taking shaky breaths to calm himself down before he spiralled and had a panic attack. “You didn’t give two shits, okay? And don’t deny it,” he added after he saw her take a breath.

“Niseka, it’s clear no one wants you here. Why did you even come back?” Dad asked as he moved closer to Tetsurou, almost like a shield protecting him from arrows.

“I came back to see if this child had become useful,” she nodded towards him. “Clearly I was wrong.” 

Tetsurou looked down at his feet. She wasn’t wrong, he hadn’t done much in the past few years, he hadn’t even taken his team to nationals-

“Don’t say that about him!” His dad said almost threateningly. “Tetsurou has done so much since he last saw you. He’s a much better person than you. Leave before I call the police.” 

“For what?” She snorted.

“Trespassing.” Her eyes widened. “Now leave and don’t return.” 

He looked up to see her hesitant movements, unsure of where to go before striding past both of them, stopping at the last second.

She turned around and faster than either of them could think, she yanked him down to her height using his t-shirt in a sharp movement.

“When I’m back, I’m going to make your life hell. Don’t forget that,” she murmured as pressure built in his chest, her perfect but sharp nails pressing against his throat. 

She released her grip when his dad stormed towards them, calmly walking out but slamming the door shut. 

He breathed.

He fell to the floor.

He shakily raised a hand to his throat as his heart beat rapidly, checking for any damage even though he was sure she wouldn’t have dared hurt him. 

“Tetsurou!” Dad was next to him now, grey hairs more obvious now that Tetsurou wasn’t panicking. “Are you okay?” 

“Um...I-I think so?” He needed time to process. 

“The things she said, you know they aren’t true, right?” 

He broke eye contact in favour of looking at the floor. 

“Oh, Tetsurou...” He couldn’t meet his eyes again. “Tetsurou, look at me,” his face was cupped by warm hands, slowly bringing his eyes to meet his dad’s gaze. “You are not useless, you are not an ‘object’ to be used like Niseka said. You are my son, your grandparent’s grandson, Kenma’s boyfriend and practically the Kozume’s other son. You are loved, you are cared for. Don’t believe a word she said, both today and in the past.” 

They never broke eye contact once. 

He felt safe in his dad’s hold. 

“C-can-” he moves his arms “-can I have a hug?” 

“Of course.” 

He was warm in a loving embrace despite them both being on the uncomfortable kitchen floor. 

They didn’t move for a while, not until his dad insisted he moved to the couch and dinner was made. 

“Dinner won’t be ready for a while, so do you want to have a nap while I make it?” Dad asked, him not ready to be fully sociable and nodding instead. 

He struggled over to the sofa, limbs heavy after the rollercoaster of emotions he’d been forced onto. 

He was lulled to sleep by the sound of frying onions and his dad’s humming.


	4. Once bitten, twice shy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) So, to make up for not updating for a while, here is an almost 3k chapter. I wrote this in a few hours and got someone to read it- enjoy! 
> 
> 2) This has a few headcannons in it and something I was writing for a new series I’m writing, so yeah...  
> I keep saying ‘oh there will only be another chapter after this’. I’m clearly a liar. 
> 
> 3) Enjoy the chapter and leave a kudos and comment!

He didn’t mention anything to Kenma the next day, not wanting to bring back his thoughts on his mother being back- wait, should he even call her that? No, he pretty much disowned her last night. 

He pushed away the thoughts with schoolwork and revision, not wanting to deal with the whole situation yet. He didn’t want to sort through feelings he’d buried years ago. 

Feelings of sadness, hurt, anger- he didn’t want to deal with those when he had other things to focus on. 

Things like school, volleyball, friends, Kenma-  
What if he did tell Kenma? How would he react? Would he be angry? Disappointed? Who at? Tetsurou or his mother- Niseka. 

‘Niseka...’ he grimaced at the thought. Referring to her just brought back memories he didn’t want. He’d block them out, not wanting bad thoughts right before a meet up -to be honest, it was a double date- with Bokuto and Akaashi. 

“Ne, Kuro, what’s up with you?” Kenma asked, cutting through his thoughts. 

“Hm?” He started, the rumble of the train filtering back in. 

“You seemed a bit...absent.” 

“Absent?”

“Not completely there.”

“I get what you mean. Nah, I’m fine, just carried away by my thoughts.”

“They must be deep thoughts if you completely zone out.” 

“They’re not, I’m just wondering what Bo will think of his present,” he glanced to the bag next to him, almost feeling bad about it not being wrapped. 

“He’ll probably try to wear them right there.” He snickered at Kenma’s comment. 

“That’d be funny. He definitely will if he’s wearing shorts.” He chuckled at the image of Bokuto bowling and wearing cat knee pads, unaware of Kenma’s small smile as he went back to his phone.  
_____________________________________________

“Tetsubro!” 

“Koubro!” 

The two captains embraced each other, Akaashi and Kenma staring at the scene. 

“The nicknames get worse every time,” Akaashi sighed, Kenma nodding as they watched them joke with each other, thankful no one else in the bowling alley was looking at them like they were weirdos. 

“Bro, I got something for you,” he handed Bokuto the bag, grinning at the spiker’s confusion. “Ah, right, for doing well in nearly all of your exams.” 

“What- nah, Kuroo, you didn’t need to get me something,” Bokuto protested as he opened the bag, jaw dropping as he saw the contents inside. “No way! Neko kneepads!” Bokuto half-exclaimed, half-laughed. 

“What?” Akaashi asked, eyebrows raised as he faced Kenma, the faux-blonde shrugging in response. 

“I saw them in a store last weekend-” He started, not finishing as Bokuto knocked the breath out of him with a hug.

“These are so awesome! I’m so wearing these next practice- wait, ‘Kaashi,” the setter looked in Bokuto’s direction. “Coach won’t tell me I can’t wear these, right? It can’t be against uniform?” 

“...I don’t think so.” 

Kenma snickered, knowing that despite Akaashi’s neutral face, the other was suffering internally. Bokuto and Kuroo could have dumb ideas sometimes, but this one would cause suffering because Akaashi has a weak spot for Bokuto’s thighs.  
Not that Kenma could blame him, because anyone who saw Bokuto’s thighs would faint or have to hold back a nosebleed.

“Okay, let’s change into bowling shoes and we can start our slot!” Bokuto practically skipped towards the desk whereas the rest of them walked. 

They all decided to have the barriers down, wanting their mini-competition to be fair. Despite it being a friendly outing, they all knew how competitive each other could become. 

They would also decide what would happen to the winner or loser. More often than not, the winner would choose where they ate after and the loser would have to do a dare, and funnily enough, even Akaashi would do these dares. 

Once he’d lost at mini-golf and Kuroo dared him to wear a dress, but in the end, Bokuto and Kuroo both paid for the dress, Akaashi somehow slaying the look. Pretty setter luck? Probably. 

“Okay, what’s the loser gotta do?” Bokuto asked, easily holding one of the heavier bowling balls as he waited for the screen above them to load to scoresheet.

“I don’t mind,” Kenma replied, waiting to see what Kuroo and Akaashi would come up with. 

“Pay for the meal.”

“Wear a dress.”

Ah, Kuroo and Akaashi would be very competitive today. 

“Um...the winner decides?” Bokuto offered as a compromise, them all agreeing to that. 

The spiker went first, his bowl shooting down the aisle and knocking down 9 pins. 

“Ah, close! Maybe I can get a spare?” His next bowl missed but he wasn’t too down about it.

‘As long as Bokuto scores highly, he won’t whine about anything,’ Kenma thought. ‘The real competition is between the other two.’ He glanced at Kuroo and Akaashi, knowing how they could get when fired up. 

He wouldn’t mind seeing either in a dress in all honesty. Akaashi would rock the look like he did last time, but Kuroo would be interesting to see.  
He would probably choose some shade of red and be comfortable with that. 

Kuroo stood up after sipping some of his drink, weighing up a bowling ball as the pins reloaded. 

3, 2, 1- the ball shot down the aisle and easily knocked down 7 pins, them clattering loudly on the other side of the room. 

One was in the middle, the other two were clumped together. 

“Hmm...I’ll go for the centre, I don’t want it to go in the gutter.” It went in the gutter anyway. 

Bokuto clapped Kuroo on the back as Akaashi stood up to take his go, the setter not breaking his neutral face as the former sat down. 

3, 2, 1- eight pins were knocked down! What he lacked in strength, Akaashi made up for in accuracy. He knocked down another pin, tying with Bokuto. 

“Nice bowl Akaashi!” Bokuto cheered as the setter sat down. 

Kenma stood up, picking one of the lighter bowling balls and waiting for the pins to reload. 

He didn’t want to put that much effort in, but he also didn’t want to be last and possibly have to wear a dress.

He bowled, the ball not as fast as Bokuto’s and curving into the pins, knocking 7 down. He knocked another one down on his next turn. 

Throughout the bowling competition, Bokuto and Kuroo wielded strength and speed whereas he and Akaashi used accuracy and technique, all of them scoring highly. 

Kuroo didn’t seem as distracted as he was on the train, laughing with Bokuto and focused on winning his mini-competition with Akaashi, the setter leading by 5 points. 

Maybe he really was worried that Bokuto wouldn’t like the knee pads? It was an odd thought, since the owl-haired captain loved anything to do with animals. 

Then again, his boyfriend had been off since their date last weekend. Whenever they’d walked back to and from school, the taller had looked at their surrounding more often, seemingly paranoid of something. 

“Kitten?” He looked up from his phone, the screen now black. He’d recorded Kuroo bowling through his legs -at the other’s request of course- and scoring a strike, chest bumping with Bokuto after. 

“Mm?”

“You want anything? I’m getting some more drinks.” 

He glanced at his half-empty Fanta. 

“No, I’m fine.” 

“Okay.” Kuroo kissed him on the cheek, a lazy smirk forming when a blush arose and dodging Kenma’s half-hearted hoodie swipe. 

“Go get the drinks,” he muttered, smiling to himself as Kuroo walked away. Only they could make each other flustered through affection.  
_____________________________________________

They were on the penultimate round when something bizarre happened, none of them expecting it whatsoever. 

Kuroo was videoing Bokuto’s bowl, them having started recording last round to see if they could post any tricks that they accomplished online. They’d already attempted bowling backwards, at least two of the bowls going in the gutter. 

“You still videoing?” Bokuto asked as he picked up a bowling ball, having alternated between the heavier bowling balls and the lighter ones to see how fast he could send them down the aisle. 

“Yeah, you’re good to go!” Kuroo replied, giving Bokuto the thumbs up, standing behind the owl-haired teen. 

“Then, here we go!” Bokuto swung his arm back, bringing it forward with such force that everyone knew it would be like a rocket. After all, he’d seen Bokuto pick one of the lighter balls.

Smack! 

As soon as the ball hit the wooden floor, it broke in half, gliding along the floor in two neat halves. 

His eyebrows raised, and next to him, Akaashi stopped mid-sip. How the hell had Bokuto managed to do that?! 

They all stood in silence before Kuroo burst out laughing, phone clutched in his hand as he wrapped his arms around his sweatshirt-clad waist, having taken it off around the fourth round. 

“Shit- Bo- how-?” 

Both of them were laughing now, Bokuto using the corner of the seating area to keep himself standing. 

“I- I have no clue-” Akaashi chuckled. 

“Dude, you even scored a strike!” 

“Wha- oh my god-!” Both of combusted into giggles, unable to pull themselves back together. 

A member of staff approached them and Akaashi cleared the situation up, none of them having to pay for the ball since it was clearly an accident. 

They carried on and on the final round.  
Bokuto had 87 points, Kuroo had 79 points, Akaashi had 80 points and he had 82.  
It would be a fairly close win to say the least. 

Bokuto used a heavier ball, and as a joke, bowled by throwing it from between his legs in a slightly crouched position, it making a loud ‘thump’ as it hit the floor. 

“Imagine if you broke the ball again,” Kuroo snickered as he threw his empty drink into the bin. 

Bokuto held back a smile and failed, laughing as they waited for the ball to knock down the pins. 

3, 2, 1- a strike? How was Bokuto’s luck that good?  
Bokuto jumped onto Kuroo, whooping as the other captain’s jaw dropped. 

“I- how?!”

“I don’t know? Maybe ‘cause I’m amazing at bowling!”  
Kenma looked to Akaashi to see if it was true.

He shrugged. “I don’t know, he’s lucky with things like this.”

“You’ve gotta tell me what you mean by ‘these things’,” Kuroo replied as he picked up a large pink ball- ah, that was the lightest one. What was Kuroo planning? Did he want to set a new speed record if he didn’t win? 

3, 2, 1- nine pins. 

Glancing up at the screen, he noticed Kuroo’s speed was 39 mph- the fastest out of all of them. 

“Agh! I wanted to match Bo and get a strike!” Kuroo groaned, running his hand through his hair and grinning despite his score. He fell into the seat next to Kenma, watching Akaashi wait for the pins to load. “I guess it’s up to you and Akaashi now.”

“Stop acting as if this is a finals match or something,” he muttered, pocketing his phone. 

“”But I don’t wanna lose~” 

“You don’t know that.”

“Do too.”

“Do not.”

“Do too.” 

“Do not.”

“Do-” Akaashi bowled “-too.” 

9 pins. 

Kenma decided if Kuroo lost or not. 

“Woohoo, you go Keiji!” Bokuto cheered, kissing Akaashi’s forehead. 

He held back a laugh at Akaashi’s blush, knowing he would be doing the same thing if Kuroo repeated Bokuto’s action. 

Standing up and preparing his bowl, he could feel Kuroo’s gaze on him. Did he want to see Kuroo in a dress? He wouldn’t mind...plus he didn’t want to have to wear a dress or lose. Losing meant his effort was wasted. 

He picked the same ball Kuroo had used and bowled, knocking over 5 pins. He knocked over 4 more in his next bowl, bringing his total bowl to 9. 

Bokuto had 97 points.

Akaashi had 89 points. 

He had 91 points.

Kuroo had 88 points. 

“Hey hey hey! I won!” Bokuto exclaimed, blinding grin on his face as he hugged Akaashi. 

“Yes, you did Koutarou.” They all looked at Kuroo. “So, what should Kuroo-san do as his penalty for losing?” 

“Hmm...” They all knew what Kuroo would have to do. It was obvious from the beginning. 

“Bro, just say it, we all know,” Kuroo groaned, hands on his hips.

“Tetsubro, sorry not sorry, but you’re gonna have to wear a dress.”  
_____________________________________________

“I can’t believe they ganged up on me like that!” 

Tetsurou exclaimed as they walked to through a maze of blouses and skirts in search of dresses. 

“You should’ve expected it,” Kenma muttered, dodging a rack full of blazers. “Akaashi was going to get revenge the moment you dared him to do it after mini-golf.”

“I didn’t think it’d be so soon.” 

“You should’ve.”

“Who’s side are you on?”

“My own.” Ignoring his boyfriend’s incredulous stare, he looked to his right and found what they were looking for. “Oh look, dresses.” 

With the attention taken off of him, Kenma observed as Tetsurou hunted for a dress he could wear, having told Kenma the specifics earlier. 

‘Long and red, and not tight, because if Akaashi struggled getting out of his dress a few weeks ago, then I’ll have to cut mine open. Knowing women’s dresses, they’re expensive and I don’t wanna spend a ton of money only to ruin it.’ 

He felt a little awkward, heart beat increasing at the thought of someone questioning him being here. After all, why would a boy be in the women’s section? 

He knew he could lie and say he was finding something for his mother, but the idea of being questioned made his stomach churn. 

“Hey Kenma, what about this one?” He looked over at Tetsurou to see him holding a long dress above the racks of skirts and scarves, bedhead messy compared to the smooth bodice. 

Wondering closer, he saw it didn’t hold a body shape below the waist. Tetsurou would probably fit in it considering his athletic body. 

“Hmm, it looks like it would work. You wanna try it on here?” Kenma asked in a teasing tone.

“Haha, yeah right. I’d rather lose to Akaashi again than try a dress on in a store and have the workers stare at me.” 

“So you’re gonna buy a size bigger than what you think fits you and try it on at home? Aren’t there any other dresses you want?” 

“I looked at them and didn’t like them. Also, it’s the less embarrassing option,” Tetsurou replied as they walked to the tills.

“You had a climbing competition with Bokuto last month and had to call the emergency services to get you down,” Kenma deadpanned. 

“At least I climbed higher than him-” Tetsurou’s eyes flickered to a woman paying at the counter and tensed. 

“Tetsu?” Kenma glanced at his boyfriend, seeing how his face paled and his free hand shook. 

The woman didn’t seem to know they were there, thanking the cashier before turning around. Tall, black-but-greying hair, stiff posture- oh, it was the lady from the ice cream parlour. 

What did she have to do with Tetsurou though? 

“Hide,” he hissed, grabbing Kenma’s hand and walking away from the counter as fast as possible.

“Wha-? Don’t you still need to buy that?” Kenma gestured to the dress as Tetsurou hung it up in a random place, now racing towards the exit. 

“I can buy it online.” 

His brow furrowed as they left the store, Tetsurou still keeping at his hurried pace. His boyfriend’s curt responses worried him. What was so scary about that woman that they had to leave immediately? How could she frighten Tetsurou so easily? 

Tetsurou, who never backed down from trapping spiders despite the fact they scared him shitless. 

Tetsurou, who was ready to fight the 3rd years who bullied Kenma despite them being bigger and stronger than he was.

Tetsurou, who battled Kenma’s anxieties and fears for him. 

What happened to make him practically run away? 

They stopped in the middle of a well-lit street, Kenma feeling how tired he was from his puffs of breath. 

Tetsurou’s grasp on his hand had decreased in the strength once they’d made it halfway home, urgency decreasing as the distance between them and the shopping centre increased.

“You-you didn’t want anything else from there did you?” Kenma glanced up to see his boyfriend’s still-pale face. “I wasn’t gripping you too harshly or-?” 

“No.” The other sighed with relief. “But what happened there?” 

Tetsurou pursed his lips, hand shaking slightly as he ran it through his hair. 

“Can I...can I not explain it here?” He’d never seen his boyfriend so distressed before. “Can I explain it at home?” 

Kenma nodded. 

“O-okay...”

Feeling the need to do something to ease his boyfriend’s worries, Kenma held the other’s hand, squeezing it every few minutes to keep Tetsurou grounded.


	5. Faded Truths & Regional Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I might write an extra based off of Kenma’s PoV. I might, I might not, I hope I will. I’ll see lol
> 
> 2) Well this takes up most of my KuroKen document now 😂 I’m proud of it tho, it’s the first long story I’ve completed! Thanks to whoever commented, I think of you whenever I write and your reactions.
> 
> 3) Enjoy the chapter and leave a kudos and comment! :)

After he and Kenma first met and become comfortable with each other, making pillow forts became a thing of habit for sleepovers. 

At Tetsurou’s house, they used the space between his desk and his bed to create the fort, draping blankets over the chair and desk to insulate it from the cold air outside, using the heaviest objects they could find -hot water bottles and books- to keep everything in place. 

The duvet would become the base of the structure, neither wanting to sleep on carpet, because after a few hours, it became too hard to sleep on and they were reminded it was flooring.

Fairy lights Tetsurou’s grandmother gave to him one Christmas and some borrowed from the drawer in the living room would be sandwiched between the thinnest blanket and the one layered on top of it to mimic stars, Kenma never having seen them since he’d lived in Tokyo and Tetsurou because he missed them. 

He’d take Kenma to see the stars one day. 

They’d spent countless nights in pillow forts playing video games or talking. The talks could range from the latest video game to Tetsurou’s chemistry rabbles, but it was a warm, safe space for both. 

The pillow fort they’d built yesterday had remained purely because they knew they would return to it that evening, but not with such a heavy atmosphere.

Kenma was next to him, blanket up to his waist and propped up by pillows as he fiddled with Tetsurou’s hand.

They’d both showered and changed into comfier clothes than earlier, snacks somewhere in the corner. Tetsurou knew he had no escape from what he had to do. 

Explaining to Kenma about his mother, the abuse and neglect, how he never revealed any of it to his dad...it would be difficult. He was the type of person to listen and support others, a bit like a side character, only to have the attention turned on him? It was a difficult adjustment. 

He was Kuroo Tetsurou, a seemingly normal chemistry and volleyball nerd. No one paid attention to the underlying trauma. 

No one ever asked why he sometimes cut off his rambles, why he hated shouting or being dragged by his wrists or disappointing someone. 

“So...” He didn’t have a clue on where to begin. “Where do you want me to start?”

Kenma abandoned Tetsurou’s hand and lightly tugged on one of his hoodie strings. “The beginning.” 

“So what, my birth?” Tetsurou swallowed. “Well...she basically told me I was a last resort. She wanted me to ‘save her failing marriage’,” he air-quoted. “That didn’t work though, did it?” He smiled bitterly. “I guess she thought having a child would bring them closer together. From what I remember, Dad was nearly always busy working because he needed to pay off the house and hospital bills.” 

He didn’t dare look at Kenma. If he looked and stopped, he probably wouldn’t continue until the next day. 

Seeing Niseka in public and knowing how easily she could get him and Kenma...it shook him to the core. He hadn’t had any mental preparation, hadn’t expected to see her again at all.

‘When I’m back, I’m going to make your life hell.’ 

He shuddered at her last words to him.

He didn’t want her back in his life. He didn’t want her cruel words and harsh touches. Not when he’d built a life for himself after his idea of a ‘perfect family’ had been destroyed at the tender age of 7. 

“She didn’t...she didn’t want me after a while.” He swallowed. “I don’t think she ever wanted me. Having Emiko was probably enough for her, but again, failing marriage.”

Emiko’s rare visits -mainly timed at birthdays and New Years- were heaven when Niseka was in his life. She was the first positive female figure in his life, teaching him that feminine things like knitting weren’t that bad and that he could be loved, it was only his mother who was cruel to him. 

“When did you realise she um...” Had he been quiet for long enough that Kenma had to prompt him?

“She didn’t love me? That my family wasn’t a family?” Kenma nodded. “School. Once I picked up that families didn’t act the way mine did, I did a few comparisons and thought ‘oh, she doesn’t give a shit about me unless I’ve made her mad.’”

He remembered waiting at the gates of his old school, watching as mothers embraced their children when the little ones bolted excitedly to them, almost knocking them over in the process. How Tetsurou wouldn’t dare do that, too afraid of sharp nails digging into his back because she couldn’t wrench him off in public. 

Forehead or nose kisses, questions of ‘how’s your day been sweetheart?’ and ‘that’s a lovely drawing you have there, what’s it of?’ instead of the stony silence he received. 

She lead him to the car, he followed, no handholding involved. Sometimes the radio would distract him from the fact she never asked him anything, never responded to anything he said unless he was too annoying and she needed to shut him up. 

“Your dad never picked you up?” 

“Nope, he was too busy working. His office was about 45 minutes away from the house and he didn’t finish until 5 or 6, so my moth-” he stopped, “-Niseka was forced to pick me up. Every day, it was always quiet unless I was too excited and made too much noise in the back. I used to make up conversations in my head to keep myself entertained.” 

“You don’t think silence now is...is like that?”

“What? No! Half the time I need it, especially for revision.” He glanced at Kenma’s tensed hands, guessing what was going through the blonde’s head. “I don’t think silences with you are like that. If anything, they’re comfortable and help me relax.” 

Kenma nodded. “Oh, okay.” The setter picked up his right hand, fiddling with his fingers again. “Tetsu...what made you so nervous around her today? Was it meeting her at the park?”

“Oh, that...” He hadn’t told Kenma. What would he think? Would he think Tetsurou was cowardly? That he was weak? 

‘No, this is Kenma I’m thinking about. Kenma understands,’ he internally berated himself. His best friend wouldn’t think that. They’d understood each other for years, learnt nearly everything about each other, and if there was one thing that Kenma was, he was perceptive. He wouldn’t do something to hurt Tetsurou, not in a situation as delicate as this. 

He stared up at the blankets above them, focusing on the pattern that the fairy lights lit up, the light softened through the blankets, almost acting like a filter.  
A bit like his life, now that he thought about it. Shown through rose-tinted glass. 

“So, after the park and dropping you off at yours...” He paused, not sure how to phrase how Niseka was at his home. “She was in the kitchen, talking to Dad.”  
He watched Kenma’s expression, noting how the other’s eyes widened.“She came back to talk to me. I’m not sure if...if she wanted to after the park or if that was an accident and her whole intention of being back in Tokyo was to talk to me. Hell, I still don’t know!” 

He pressed his hands to his face, trying to distract himself from all his new questions since he hadn’t allowed himself to think about the interaction before. 

“S-she wanted to see if I wasn’t as useless as before. Dad defended me and made her leave but as she was going, she threatened me. I...yeah, that’s it,” he finished lamely, not sure how Kenma would react. 

“You don’t believe what she said- that you’re useless, I mean. You don’t think that, do you?” Kenma asked. Tetsurou could hear the desperate hope in his voice.

“Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t,” he shrugged, noticing Kenma had stopped fiddling with his fingers. 

“Tetsu, you’re not useless. You lead a successful team that made it to nationals twice, have some of the highest grades in your classes and you’re an amazing person!” 

“But we barely qualified and didn’t even make it to the semi-finals-!” He almost exclaimed, fighting down tears.  
Kenma cupped his face with his hands, warms fingers against Tetsurou’s cold cheeks. 

“Does that mean you did nothing? No. You were captain!” Golden eyes stared into his. 

Tetsurou didn’t protest, a bit too intimated by his boyfriend to try and deny what he said. 

“Whatever that woman said was wrong. She doesn’t know you like your family and I do. Got that?” Tetsurou took a few seconds to nod. They both knew this conversation would come up again, but for tonight, it was stored and tucked into a dark corner. 

“When did your dad realise she was abusing you?” Tetsurou hid a wince at the question, having repressed the memory for a while. 

“He came home while she was yelling at me, I think about spilling my drink on the carpet.” Kenma frowned but didn’t show signs of saying anything, so Tetsurou continued. “It was the worst yelling match they’d ever had. The shouting, the throwing, all of it. Niseka left somewhere during the night and I didn’t see her until recently.” 

“It’s why you always give my mum something on Mother’s Day, isn’t it? And why you do the pillow thing.” He jolted at the question, not expecting Kenma to bring it up. 

“Uh- yeah,” he admitted. “She and grandma are the closest things I have to mothers.” He chuckled lowly at the ‘pillow thing’. “No one ever commented on the pillow thing, so it stuck I guess.”

It took him years to change his idea of a mother from someone who created thunderstorms to someone who sheltered him from them. 

“You never went to therapy for all of it,” Kenma stated.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he sighed. “Dad never brought it up and I never showed major signs of her actions getting to me. We didn’t have the money for it anyway.”

“Is talking enough to help?”

“It’s worked for the past few years, I don’t see why it won’t now.” 

Kenma pressed his lips together, appearing to have an internal debate. 

“Can...can we cuddle now?” Tetsurou asked quietly, chest feeling lighter even though there was a lump in his throat. 

The faux-blonde sighed before nodding. Tetsurou crawled forwards before settling himself lower than Kenma, his head nuzzled into his boyfriend’s chest. 

He didn’t bother swallowing the lump down like before, choosing to keep his sobs quiet. 

“I never fully realised how badly she treated me,” he whispered, knowing Kenma was listening. “Even if I knew she wasn’t an normal parent.” 

Kenma slowly rubbed circles into his back, encouraging Tetsurou to continue.

“At least your mum accepted me,” he said shakily. “She treats me like a second son.”

“That’s because you are.” 

“Really?”

“Of course. As soon as I invited you over again, she knew we’d have a close bond.” 

He calmed himself down soon after, taking in measured breaths as the lights flickered above them. 

“You wanna sleep now?”

“That’d be nice.”

“Okay.” A light kiss was pressed to his forehead. “Sleep well.” 

And if Kenma indulged him with more cuddles and they slept over at his house more often, no one had to know.


End file.
